The well-traveled director - writer French philhellene Jean–Marie Drot loved Ios. He built a lighthouse residence with the architect being Giannis Gaitis, at the area Ai Giannis (1964) and decided to house part of his collection of modern art at the museum he built (architectural study of Loretta Gaitis) without funding next to his house.

The collection contains works from Greece, France, Italy, Haiti, Poland and other countries. The format of his works vary, including painting, prints, sculptures and photographs.

In the museum there is collection of folk art and "naïf" art from around the world and is exposed to a home atmosphere with furniture from the Cyclades and various parts of Greece.